Dispenser

ABSTRACT

A dispenser for dispensing same-size discrete articles (P) comprises a holder ( 34, 36, 44 ) for holding a plurality of such articles in a stack, the holder having a top, a bottom ( 44, 46 ), and an exit opening ( 60 ) at the bottom, through which the lowermost article in the stack can leave the holder in a transverse direction. It further comprises means ( 38, 40, 16, 18 ) defining a pathway for guiding said articles from the exit opening to, and over, the top of the holder, with each article in the pathway pushing the article ahead of it along the pathway. The arrangement is such that the articles are visible while in transit along the pathway to the top of the holder.

This application is the National Phase of International ApplicationPCT/IB99/02013 filed Dec. 15, 1999 which designated the U.S. and thatInternational Application.

This invention relates to a dispenser. More particularly, it relates toa dispenser for dispensing same-size discrete articles such as, forexample, cigarette packs.

According to the invention there is provided a dispenser for dispensingsame-size discrete articles, which comprises:

a holder for holding a plurality of such articles in a stack, the holderhaving a top, a bottom, and an exit opening at the bottom, through whichthe lowermost article in the stack can leave the holder in a transversedirection; and

means defining a pathway for guiding said articles from the exit openingto a level higher than the exit opening, with each said article in thepathway pushing the article ahead of it along the pathway.

The pathway may be open or defined at least partly by walling of atransparent material, so as to render the articles visible while intransit from the exit opening to said higher level.

The pathway may extend from the exit opening to, and over, the top ofthe holder.

The dispenser may include a cassette, the cassette comprising a pair ofspaced cheeks, and a plurality of connecting elements each spanning thedistance between the cheeks and connecting the cheeks to one another,each cheek comprising a flat panel which forms the sides of said holderand of said pathway.

The holder may be formed by a wall which projects from the flat panel ofeach cheek towards the other cheek.

Said pathway may be formed by at least one wall which projects from theflat panel of each cheek towards the other cheek.

Said pathway may formed by a pair of spaced walls each projecting fromthe flat panel of each cheek towards the other cheek.

The bottom of said holder may be formed by a wall which projects fromthe flat panel of each cheek towards the other cheek.

The cheeks may be a mirror image of one another.

The cheeks may be injection moulded plastics components.

The connector elements may each be in the form of a length of tubingstock, the cheeks each having a plurality of integrally formed spigotformations thereon, and each spigot formation being a close fit in theend of a corresponding one of the connector elements.

The connector elements may each be in the form of a length of plasticstubing stock.

The dispenser may comprise a pair of spaced sides, a lower rail, and apair of upper rails, the rails spanning the distance between the sidesand connecting the sides together, and there being a gap between theupper rails, the cassette being arranged to extend between the upper andthe lower rails, such that the gap between the upper rails forms theupper end of said pathway.

The rails may be aluminium extrusions.

The dispenser may comprise a plurality of said cassettes, the cassettesbeing arranged side-by-side in the space between the sides.

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example,with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a dispenser in accordance with a firstembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view (in the direction of arrow 11 in FIG. 1) of thedispenser;

FIG. 3 is section in III—III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of one of the cassettes forming part of thedispenser;

FIG. 5 is a rear view (in the direction of arrow V in FIG. 4) of thecassette;

FIG. 6 is a front view (in the direction of VI in FIG. 4) of thecassette;

FIG. 7 is an underneath view (in the direction of arrow VII in FIG. 4)of the cassette;

FIG. 8 is a section on VIII—VIII in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a detail of the upper part of FIG. 3, drawn to a larger scale;

FIG. 10 is a detail of the lower part of FIG. 3, drawn to a largerscale;

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic section of a dispenser in accordance with asecond embodiment of the invention, the dispenser being shown in thenormal operating condition in which it is closed; and

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 11, but showing the dispenser in theopen condition, for purposes of reloading.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 10, reference numeral 10 generallyindicates a dispenser which is of the type that can stand on a shopcounter. That part of the dispenser that is on the left hand side ofFIG. 1 will face a customer and will be referred to herein as the frontof the dispenser, whereas the part that is on the right hand side ofFIG. 1 will face the sales assistant and will be referred to herein asthe rear of the dispenser.

The dispenser comprises a pair of sides 12, three rails 14, 16, and 18which are fastened to, and extend between, the sides, a series ofremovable cassettes 20 which clip in position on the rails 14 and 16,and a lid 22. The dispenser also comprises a pedestal, only the legs 24of which are shown.

The rails 14, 16, and 18 are aluminium extrusions, each having screwports 26 for receiving the screws (not shown) that are used to fastenthe sides 12 to the rails. The rails can be cut to any desired length,according to the number of cassettes 20 that it is desired toaccommodate between the sides 12.

Each of the cassettes 20 comprises a pair of cheeks 28 which areconnected to one another by means of connector elements 30. The cheeks28 are injection moulded plastics components. There is a left hand cheekand a right hand cheek, the left hand and right hand cheeks being amirror image of one another.

The connector elements 30 are in the form of short tubes which are cutfrom plastics tubing stock. The cheeks 28 have integrally formed spigotformations 32 (see FIG. 8), which are a close fit in the ends of theconnector elements 30. If desired, an adhesive or ultrasonic welding maybe used to secure the connector elements 30 to the spigot formations 32.The connector elements can be cut to any desired length, according tothe width that it is desired the cassette 20 should have. The width ofthe cassette is chosen according to the width of the articles that areto be dispensed by the dispenser.

Each of the cheeks 28 comprises a flat panel 34 from which there projecta straight wall 36 and a pair of curved walls 38 and 40. The curved wall40 extends along the curved front edge of the panel 34. The curved wall38 is set back from the curved wall 40, the two walls 38 and 40 formingbetween them a curved pathway along which articles P to be dispensed canbe displaced from the bottom of the cassette to the top thereof. Thepanels 34 form the sides of the pathway. The straight wall 36 is spacedfrom and parallel to the rear edge of the panel 34 and, at the lower endthereof, meets up with the lower end of the curved wall 38.

Each cheek 38 further comprises, at the lower right hand corner asviewed in FIG. 3, a straight wall 42 and a bottom wall 44 which projectfrom the panel 34. The straight wall 42 extends along the rear edge ofthe panel 34, for part only of the height of the panel, and the bottomwall 44 extends along the bottom edge of the panel, the two walls 42 and44 meeting at the corner. A front portion of the bottom wall isseparated from the panel 34, to form a resiliently flexible arm 46. Thearm 46 has a hook formation 48 at the free end thereof. The bottom wall44 and the arm 46 are approximately aligned with the lower end of thecurved wall 40.

The rail 16 has a part 50 which forms a semi-cylindrical outer surface.Each of the cheeks 28 has, at the top thereof, an integrally formed clipformation 52 with a complementary semi-cylindrical inner surface. Theclip formations 52 are able to clip onto the part 50. The clipformations 52 and the part 50, when engaged with one another, allow acertain degree of pivotal movement between the cassette 20 and the rail16.

To place the cassette 20 in position, the clip formations 52 are firstengaged with the part 50 and the cassette then pivoted downwardly, untilthe hook formations 48 engage with the rail 14. To remove the cassette20, the hook formations 48 are first disengaged from the rail 14,whereupon the cassette can be unclipped from the part 50.

When the cassette 20 is in place, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the spacebetween the rails 16 and 18 forms a continuation of the pathway definedby the walls 38 and 40.

The lid 22 extends across the width of the dispenser, between the twosides 12. Its lower edge is bent upwardly to form an upstanding lip 54.The lip 54 serves as a tray into which articles P which are dispensedwill drop and from which they can then be retrieved.

Along its upper edge the lid 22 is provided with an aluminium extrusion56. This cooperates with a corresponding formation on the rail 16, toform a hinge about which the lid can be displaced pivotally, as shown bythe arrow A in FIG. 9. Between the lid and the rail 16 there is aC-shaped spring clip 58, for spring-loading the lid.

In use, same-size discrete articles, such as cigarette packs P, that areto be dispensed, are stacked into the cassette, the flat panels 34, thewalls 36, and the walls 44 together forming a holder for holding thestack of packs. The walls 44 support the packs from below, and the walls36 support them from behind.

In order to dispense an article P from the dispenser, the salesassistant, who will be behind the dispenser, will insert his or herfinger into the gap between the walls 42 and push the lowermost pack Ptransversely from the stack through an exit opening 60, in the directionof arrow B. The lowermost pack will then enter into the gap between thewalls 38 and 40 and, in so doing, push the packs already in the gapbetween the walls 38 and 40 upwardly. The uppermost pack P will movethrough the gap between the rails 16 and 18. From there it will slidealong the upper surface of the lid 22 and, at the lower end of the lid,be caught by the lip 54. The pack P can then be retrieved from the lidand handed to the customer. For every pack that is pushed from thebottom of the stack through the exit opening 60 another pack is pushedthrough the gap between the rails 16 and 18. While the packs are intransit from the exit opening 60 to the top of the cassette, their majorfaces are visible from the front of the dispenser through the gap thatthere is between the cheeks 28, so that the customer can see what isbeing purchased. As a consequence, there is no need for there to be anypromotional material on the dispenser itself. When the packs P are inthe stack their major faces, which normally carry branding and otherpromotional material, are not visible to customers. The dispenser hasthe effect of presenting the packs, after having left the stack andwhile in transit along the pathway, in such a manner that the majorfaces of the packs are exposed to, and can be viewed by, customers.

If desired, the front of the dispenser may be closed by means of aflexible panel 62 of transparent material, the upper and lower edges ofthis panel being accommodated in slots 64 and 66 provided for thispurpose in the rails 14 and 18 respectively. It is to be understood thatthis panel need not necessarily be of a transparent material. Thus, ifit is not required for the packs P to be visible from the front of thedispenser, the panel may be of an opaque material and may, if desired,carry advertising material on the exposed face thereof.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, reference numeral 70 generallyindicates a dispenser which is of the wall mounted type, referencenumeral 72 indicating a wall on which the dispenser is mounted. As inthe case of the FIGS. 1 to 10 embodiment, the dispenser 70 has a seriesof cassettes arranged side-by-side, each holding a stack of same-sizediscrete articles P. The cassettes are each in two parts, namely a fixedpart 74 and a pivotally displaceable part 76, the part 76 beingpivotally displaceable with respect to the part 74 about a pivot axis at78. Click stop formations 80 are provided to provide for click stopoperation of the part 76.

The fixed part 74 has two rear walls 82 and 84, the rear wall 84 beingspaced in front of the rear wall 82 and the two walls forming betweenthem a chute down which the packs P can pass. At the lower and forwardend of the rear wall 82 there is an upstanding lip 86, which forms atray into which the packs that are dispensed drop and from where theycan be retrieved.

The fixed part 74 further has a bottom wall 88 on which the packs P arestacked, to be between a pair of spaced side walls 90. The side walls90, the rear wall 84, and the bottom wall form a holder for holding thestack of packs P. When the pivotal part 76 is in the positionillustrated in FIG. 12, the holder is open at the front, so that packs Pcan be loaded into it.

The pivotal part 76 has a pair of curved walls 92 and 94, forming acurved pathway which leads from the bottom of the holder upwardly.

At the lower end of the rear wall 84 and in the bottom wall 88 there isa slot (not shown) into which a person can insert his or her finger todraw the lowermost pack P transversely from the stack and into thepathway between the walls 92 and 94. At least the wall 94 is of atransparent material, so as to render the packs P which are in transitalong the pathway visible. A detent 96 is provided for preventing thepacks which are in the pathway formed by the walls 92 and 94 fromdropping out of the part 76 when the dispenser is opened.

In operation, a customer will withdraw the lowermost pack P from thestack by inserting his or her finger into the slot and pulling thelowermost pack in the stack forwardly. In so doing, the pack moves intothe pathway formed by the walls 92 and 94, and pushes the packs ahead ofit upwards along the pathway. For each pack P that is withdrawn from thebottom of the stack another pack is pushed out of the part 76 at thetop, and drops down the chute towards the tray 86 at the bottom end ofthe rear wall 82.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dispenser for dispensing same-size discretearticles, which comprises: a holder for holding a plurality of sucharticles in a single upwardly extending stack, the holder having a top,a bottom, and an exit opening at the bottom, through which the lowermostarticle in the stack can leave the holder in a transverse direction; andmeans defining a pathway for guiding said articles from the exit openingto a level higher than the exit opening, with each said article in thepathway pushing the article ahead of it along the pathway, wherein thepathway curves from the exit opening to, and over, the top of theholder.
 2. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1, which includes a cassette,the cassette comprising a pair of spaced cheeks, and a plurality ofconnecting elements each spanning the distance between the cheeks andconnecting the cheeks to one another, each cheek comprising a flat panelwhich forms the sides of said holder and of said pathway.
 3. A dispenseras claimed in claim 2, wherein the rear of the holder is formed by awall which projects from the flat panel of each cheek towards the othercheek.
 4. A dispenser as claimed in claim 2, wherein said pathway isformed by at least one wall which projects from the flat panel of eachcheek towards the other cheek.
 5. A dispenser as claimed in claim 4,wherein said pathway is formed by a pair of spaced walls each projectingfrom the flat panel of each cheek towards the other cheek.
 6. Adispenser as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bottom of said holder isformed by a wall which projects from the flat panel of each cheektowards the other cheek.
 7. A dispenser as claimed in claim 2, whereinthe cheeks are a mirror image of one another.
 8. A dispenser as claimedin claim 2, wherein the connector elements are each in the form of alength of tubing stock, the cheeks each having a plurality of integrallyformed spigot formations thereon, and each spigot formation being aclose fit in the end of a corresponding one of the connector elements.9. A dispenser as claimed in claim 2, which further comprises a pair ofspaced sides, a lower rail, and a pair of upper rails, the railsspanning the distance between the sides and connecting the sidestogether, and there being a gap between the upper rails, the cassettebeing arranged to extend between the upper and the lower rails, suchthat the gap between the upper rails forms the upper end of saidpathway.
 10. A dispenser as claimed in claim 9, wherein the rails arealuminum extrusions.
 11. A dispenser as claimed in claim 9, whichcomprises a plurality of said cassettes, the cassettes being arrangedside-by-side in the space between the sides.